01.04 lighting

Principles of AAVTC
Lighting:
The Ins and Outs of Lighting inVarious
Forms of Media
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights
reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with
permission.
1

Introduction
• Lighting is an aspect of production that is common
throughout many different mediums.
• Namely photography, video, and animation.
• A knowledge of lighting is required to create a specific
mood or effect and to make sure the subject of your
creation is visible in the way you want it to be seen.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other
multimedia content used with permission.
2

Introduction
• Just as finding a subject can be challenging, so too is
selecting the lighting that illuminates your subject(s) in
the most effective manner.
• Training your eye to see/create dramatic light can take
some self-training.
3

Types of Light
• Ambient light – Non-direct, soft lighting that comes from no
direct source.
• Diffuse light – Light that has been spread out to cover a large
area and has a neutral color.
• Hard light –This type of light comes directly from the source; it
is not diffused.
• Natural light – Light that is not man-made.
• Artificial light – Light created by the use of a flash (not the
sun).
4

Why Learn Lighting?
• Oftentimes in photography or video, you will be in
situations in which the lighting is less than ideal.
• Because of this, the use of artificial lighting is required to
ensure that you get the best quality light in any situation
without leaving it to chance.
5

Lighting Uses
• We’ll discuss the following:
• Key Light
• Fill Light
• Rim Light
• Hair Light
• In photography, video, and computer generated images,
these lighting uses are all the same.
6

Working with Lighting
• In some situations, a single light source may be all that is
required. In other situations, six or more lights may be
needed to get the effect you are looking for.
• Whatever the situation, if you know what you are doing,
getting the desired result will happen a lot faster.
7

Key Light
• The key light is always the MAIN LIGHT in your
photograph.
• It has to be the brightest light.
• It casts the main shadows in your images and gives your
subject volume.
• For these reasons, it is important that the key light always
be placed off camera.
8

Fill Light
• The fill light illuminates shadows but has no direction.
• Ambient light is often used as a fill light because it fills in
the shadows.
• A fill light should be very soft and very broad.
• You may add several to any given lighting setup, if
needed.
9

More on Fill Light
• The fill light is normally placed on the opposite side of the
camera from the key.
• i.e., if the key is left of camera, the fill is right of camera.
• The fill light is normally set to half the power (or below)
the key light.
• i.e., if the key is set to full power, the fill should be set to half
power or lower.
• The fill light is always a lower height than the key.
10

Rim Light
• The rim light (sometimes called a back light) creates a
bright line around the edge of the object to help visually
separate the object from the background.
• The rim light provides separation and creates depth.
11

More on the Rim Light
• There is no general consensus on just how bright a rim
light should be.
• Depending upon the look you are going for, you may want a rim
more powerful than your key.
• A rim light is set behind your subject and pointed towards
the back of them.
12

Hair Light
• A hair light in a portrait setup adds dimension and drama
to the image by accenting the shoulders and crown of the
subject.
• The brightness of the hair light should never be the first
thing you notice about a portrait.
13

More on Hair Light
• A hair light is always placed above a subject’s head and
pointed down…towards their hair.
• In terms of placement, a hair light doesn’t necessarily have to
be directly above a subject, it can be in front of or behind your
subject, but must be high enough to illuminate their hair.
• As a general rule, a hair light should be about 25% less
powerful than your key.
14

Lighting Setups
• A lighting setup is a predetermined, proven arrangement
of a set of lights in a manner that gives a certain type of
look.
• You may choose want to use a certain lighting setup to
achieve a specific mood or tone in your image, video, or
animation.
15

Lighting Setups
• Let’s discuss the following lighting setups, why they’re
important, the type of light they create, and how to go
about creating them.
• We’ll discuss the following:
• Butterfly Lighting
• Three-Point Lighting
• Rembrandt Lighting
• Split Lighting
16

Butterfly Lighting
• Butterfly lighting (also known as “paramount” lighting) is
popular for the clean, poppy look it can give a subject.
• This lighting can be recognized by the strong light falling
on the forehead and by the distinct shadow under the
subject’s nose that looks like a butterfly.
17

Butterfly Lighting
Example
• How can you tell that this photo
has a butterfly lighting setup?
18
Photo by Flickr Creative Commons user derricktakase

How to Setup
Butterfly Lighting
• In any given butterfly lighting setup, the key light will be
placed in front of and above the subject’s head and
pointed down, towards them.
• The fill light will be half the power of the key and set
below and in front of their face.
• A rim can be used, if needed, in the setup.
19

Three-Point Lighting
• Three-point lighting can be a simple starting-point for
lighting just about any subject.
• We discussed functions served by key lights, fill lights,
and back lights.
• A three-point lighting setup uses all three of these lights.
20

Example of aThree-Point
Lighting image
• Can you identify all three light
sources?
21

How to Create a
Three-Point Lighting Setup
• In any given three-point lighting setup, your key light will
be to the left or right of the camera and setup to be the
highest light.
• The fill light should be 60 degrees on the opposite side
and set to about half (or lower) the power of they key and
be lower.
• The rim light should be set somewhere behind your
subject and be about as powerful as your fill.
22

Rembrandt Lighting
• The Rembrandt lighting technique is named after the
Dutch painter Rembrandt, who often utilized the lighting
setup in his paintings.
• It is ideal for creating lighting which looks natural and
compelling by using a very small amount of equipment.
• Rembrandt lighting is characterized by the triangle
opposite the subject’s nose on the less illuminated side of
their face.
23

Example Image using
Rembrandt Lighting
• What do you see in this image
that lets you know it uses a
Rembrandt lighting setup?
24

How to Create a Rembrandt
Lighting Setup
• Most Rembrandt lighting setups use a key light placed
about 40-60 degrees from the subject.
• If more light is needed, a reflector (or small fill light) can
be placed opposite the key.
• You can alter the size of the triangle on your subject’s face
by moving around your key within the 40-60 range from
your subject.
25

Split Lighting
• Split lighting is a popular lighting setup due to the sense of
drama and mystery it can create in any given subject.
• For these reasons, it is very widely used in movies and
animations but not as much in photography wherein you may
want to see your subject’s entire face.
26

Split Lighting Example
• Notice how one side of the
subject’s face is almost
completely in shadows.
• Where was the key light placed
in this photograph?
27

How to Create a Split Lighting
Setup
• To create a split lighting setup, you will need to place your
key light 90 degrees to your subject (pointed right at the
side of their head).
• The light should be placed at eye level to your subject.
• No other lights are used in a split lighting setup.
28

Lighting a Background
• When shooting subjects, you may want to illuminate your
background so it will be completely white to make sure
that your subject is the focal point of your image.
• Digitally, this is very easy and you just set up a white
background.
• In photography and video, however, you will need to place lights
that are pointed directly at your background to ensure that it is
completely illuminated white.
29

Review
• There will often be situations in which you have to create your
own lighting.
• There are many different types of lighting including key, rim,
fill, and hair lights.
• There different types of lighting setups including three-point
lighting, butterfly lighting, Rembrandt lighting, and split
lighting.
• Lighting a background correctly is also important to create a
desired effect.
30

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